Salt Lake City elects its first openly gay mayor
Salt Lake City has long stood apart from its conservative state, with a four-decade history of electing Democrats and a sizable gay population. 聽聽
That became even clearer last week when Utah鈥檚 capital city elected its first openly gay mayor in a close contest 鈥撀爏o close, in fact, that incumbent two-term Mayor Ralph Becker, a fellow Democrat, says he will not concede the race until final tallies come in next week. 聽
When Jackie Biskupski was first elected to the state legislature in the late 1990s, conservative activists encouraged the house speaker to refuse to swear her in, claiming that she would .
"There were several legislators who wouldn鈥檛 even look me in the eye 鈥� certainly wouldn鈥檛 shake my hand," she told the Associated Press.
But those laws have changed as has the culture of Salt Lake City, a city some are calling a bastion for Utah鈥檚 gay community in a state heavily influenced by the Mormon Church.
"It is extremely significant to have a lesbian mayor in Salt Lake City," said Troy Williams, Equality Utah executive director, .聽"The election of Ms. Biskupski sends a clear signal to Utahans that the LGBT community is ready to give back with public service."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is headquartered in Salt Lake City, and much of Utah is heavily Republican. A recent poll ranks , with 44.6 percent of residents identifying as conservative.
Last week, the church initiated new polices categorizing same-sex couples as apostates and barring their children from church membership. Children of gay couples must now repudiate gay marriage before they can join the church.
"The Church has a long record as opposing same-sex marriage," said church spokesperson Eric Hawkins in a statement. "While it respects the law of the land and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently, it does not perform or accept gay marriage within its membership."
Yet, an October poll conducted by UtahPolicy showed聽 residents said the fact that Biskupski is a lesbian would make no difference to their vote. Another 12 percent said her sexuality would make them more likely to vote for her.
Political winds in Salt Lake City are blowing to the left 鈥撀燬alt Lake City residents increasingly side with Democrats and reject the Mormon Church鈥檚 stance. Nearly 5 percent of Salt Lake City adults聽, seventh among US metropolitan areas.
Biskupski, who nationally joins only a few openly gay mayors, told she would begin her term by urging the Mormon church to soften its stance against same-sex couples and their children.
鈥淗opefully, we'll have a chance to rethink this a bit and move in a different direction somewhere down the road,鈥� she said.聽
